Stuffing box for water-closet or hydrant valves, pumps, etc.



Augf- 1926.. J. A. VOGEL A STUFFING BOX FOR WATER GLOSET OR HYDRANTv VALVES, PUMPS, ETC

'3HE- E IN V EN TOR.' 4 Z,

A TTORNEY.

Patented Aue. 24, 1926.

.Tosnrn A. VOGEL, on WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

STUFFING B0X non WATER-Grossa on nYnRANT VALVES, PUMPS, nrc.

`Application filed August G, 1924. fSerial No. 730,445.

rllhis invention relates to improvements in stu'tiing bones for valves, hydrants, punips, Water closet. apparatus, and other devices or apparatus wherein it is desired to maintain a Water, air, gas or other fluid tight connection between a rod or stem and an opening in a casing or otherpart into or through which the rod or stem ext-ends, and particularly `Where ithe rod or stem` has movement in the opening. For purposes ot exemplifies-tion the invention is herein disclosed as used in a Water closet or hydrant Construction such `as `shovvn in my prior Patent No. 801,754, `cl'at'edOctober 10, 1905, and also as used inra pump, such as anfautomobile pump, but `it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these uses, but may be employed 'tor packing purposes in any type of device for which it sadapted.

One object of my invention iste provide a stuiitlng bei: embodying novel `means 'for automatically maintaining a serviceable packing at all times under compression to prevent leakage, `While at the same time allowing anfoldor Worn packingto be `readily removed and replaced with new `packing Without dislocation of oriinterference from the elements whereby the `packing `is held compressed. i

A further object of the invention iswto provide a stu! ng bei: having a closure cap for confining the packing therein Vand a springfpressed gland oiriollower for holding the `packing in compressed condition, combined with means `constructed and arranged for permitting removal `ot anold packing and substitution of a new packing When the cap is removed, While preventing displace-` ment the gland or `follower and its actuating spring. i c y A still further object ofthe invention is to provide a valvehaving a: stuffing boicot the character describedand in which single spring is employed ,for performing the double function ot' impelling the `follower and normally maintaining the valve member in one of its positions 1vand :returning it `to such position after each valve actuating motion.

`A still furtherobject oji'wthe invention is to provide a'stu'iting boXor packing struc#` ture unich `is simple of construction, wrelia` ble and eilicientin action and embodies. the. use of aminimumnumber ot' parts "for sercuring the stated advantagesand `functions.

The inventionconsistsof the `features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, `hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in Which:-

llligure l is a vertical `sectional view show ing the application oi my improved stuit'- ingbon in association with `the casing and rod or stem of the discharge or flush valve of a water closet `flush apparatus of the general character described. y

Figure 2 is a similar view through the upper portion of the valve casing on an enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is `a view similar to Figure 2 illustrating a modification. y

Figure 4 is a sectional view showing the application ot the invent-ion to a pump, such as `an automobile pump.

ln the 'practical application of my improved stuliing box,` for purposes ot e;;-

einplitication as herein shown in Figures l to 3, inclusive, in Which the stuiling box is illustrated 1n association With the Hush alve. of a water closet supply and vflush mechanism of the general `type set forth in my prior PatentNo. 801,754, ldesignates a Water `supply pipe connectedat `its upper endwiththe inlet 2 of adischarge or flush valve 3, and connected at its lower end with a valve casing orkchamber 4 `provided at its lower end withan inlet 5 c esigned to be connected in practice witha Water main or other suitable source `ci water supply, said valvecasing 4 having a valve seat 6 and being .provided above the :same with a drain outlet 7 communicating with a drain pipe 8. The casing 4 has iarranged therein a duplex valve 0 which may be equivalent in icture and function to the valve devices 6-38 of my aforesaid Patent No. 801,- (54, said valve having a. lower valve member l0 `for cooperation ivithfthe seat (i and a peripheral val'vefsurtace 1l `ior cooperation with the drain outlet 7, the valve being holloWor suitably formed to `permit upfloiv oi Water into the pipe l from `the `inlet 5 when the valve member l0 is unseated, at which time valve `member l1 closes the out- -let 7, the valve being adapted When in `lowered position'to cut oit the inflow of Water from the'inlet 5 byengagement of valve member l0 with seat 6, in which movement lll) lili

any water retained in the pipe 1 at the end of a flushing or discharge action to drain out through the said outlet 7 and pipe 8.

The valve device 3 to which my invention is shown applied comprises a valve body 1S provided with a detachable bonnet section 1% tern'iinating at its upper end in a redi'iced neck 15 constituting a stuffing-box or packing chamber, said neck being ei;- terrnallyv threaded toreceive an internally threaded closure cap 1G. The casing body 13 is provided with a discharge outlet 17 and with a valve seat 18 below said outlet, with which'valve seat cooperates the discharge valve or flush valve proper 19, mov- Vable downwardly and upwardly respectively for opening or cutting ofl' communication between Vthe inlet end of the valve casing and the discharge outlet 17. In the use ofV the valve@ as a flush valve for water closets,

Y the outlet 17 is connected with the closet .19, a contact head 23 being provided upon vthe vupper end of said rod or stem 22 for engagement by an operating lever or element' upon a depressible water closet seat,

whereby, when'the seat is depressed, the rod V 22 andboth valves 9 and 10 will be elevated,

so as to automatically close the valve member 19 against its seat 18, open the valve y member and bring the valve surface 11 into position to close Vthe drain outlet 7, allowing water from the source of supply to iow through the valve 9, pipe 1 and pipe 21 to the storage tank, in which air is compressed by the inflowing water for a subsequent flushing action. Then the closet seat is elevated, the rod 22 is forced downward through the action of a valve closing spring, ashereinafter described, thus opening the valve 19 for the flow of water to the bowl and at the same time forcing the valve member 10to its seat G to cut on' the flow of waterv and moving the valve surface 11 out of registry with the passage 7 to allow any surplus water contained in the' pipe 1 at the completion of the flushing operation to drain out.

Arranged upon the rod or stem 22 Ywithin the valve body 13 is an abutment sleeve 24, whichfsleeve rests at its base upon an adj usting nut 25 in threaded engagement with the rod orstein. This sleeve forms a sup- Y port for-the lower end ofl a coiled extensile spring 26, bearing at its lower end against said sleeve and surrounding the rod andV bearing at its upper end against the head portion of a gland or follower 27 mov.-

able within the neck portion or packing chamber of the cap 14, said spring being compressed and placed under tension when the rod or stein 22 is elevated on the depression of the closet seat to subsequently force said rod or stem downwardly upon the release of the seat, as will be readily understood. The sleeve 2a is adjustable by means of the nut to vary the normal working pressure or tension of the spring as occasion may require.

`The gland or follower 27 is cup-shaped and receives and encloses the upper end of the spring, and the head of this follower is arranged to snugly embrace the rod or stem 22 and bear against packing material 28 disposed in the upper portion of said neck 15, the flange of said follower being fitted for sliding motion inthe lower portion of the neck and guided thereby. The packing 28, which may be of fibrous material or of any other suitable character, is maintained in compressed condition by thefollower 27 and forced closely into engagement with the rod, cap and upper surfaces of the walls of the neck 15 to close the joints against leakage of water. 1n order that an effective compressing action on the packing may be secured and provision also made to enable the packing to be applied and removed in a convenient manner upon removal of the cap 16 and without displacement of the follower 17 or spring 26, the follower is fitted to slide, as stated, within the lower portion 29 of the neck which is of uniform diameter, and the packing 28 is fitted within the upper port-ion of the neck which is tapered, as indicated at 30, to form an inwardly extending packing retaining fiange 31 the formation of which fiange produces a stop flange or shoulder 32 at the point of intersection of thevsurfaces 29 and 30 to limit the upward movement of the follower 27 under the pressure of the spring 26. Y The retaining flange 31 may extend inwardly approximately half the distance between the surface 29 and periphery. of the rod 22, or to such a degree as to form an effective sealing surlface against which the packing is compressed, while leaving an opening 33 at the top of the neck of sufficient size to permit ready and convenient withdrawal, upon removal of the-cap `16, of an old and worn packing and the ready and convenient introduction of a new packing, the shoulder 32 limiting` the upward movement of the follower 27 when the old packing is withdrawn. By this means it will be apparent that, upon the simple removal of the cap 16, a faulty packing may be removed and a new one substituted in its place, without displacement of the follower and spring fro-in their normal working position and without interference therefrom in the operation ofintroducinga new packing; `also ff, t)

lac

i parts of the valve mechanism are assembled i that in such operation the follower will automatically move upwardly against the shoulder '30 to temporarily seal the packing chamber against theoutllow of fluid while the chamber is being repacked. Provision is thus made for securing an effective comression of the packing to prevent leakage ldy means of the same spring which shifts the rod 22 downwardly for aspecilied move ment of the valves, and the ready and convenient repacking of the stuffing-box without, displacement of any `of its contained working Vparts and without the necessity of applying, removing or adjusting any of such contained parts in this operation. A discharge or hush valve of maximum simplicity of "construction is thus produced whichis practically proof against leakage at all times and until renewal of the packing is neces-- sary, and in which a compressing action of the packing is obtained without :the use of additional working parts in a valve mechanism of the character described. i

With the use ofthe cup-shaped follower shown in Figures l and 2, a follower is provided which is mainly guided by contact with the casing, its flanges having an extended bearing Vengagement on the casing while its head has a relatively restricted guiding engagement with the rod. InFigure E, I have shown a modihed construction of follower 27 provided with a sleeve porA tion 27a having sliding enga-gement with the rod, said sleeve carrying a disk or head portion having a short flange to engage thesurface 29 of the neck l5, whereby a follower isprovided which 'is mainly in Contact with and guided by therod and is to a more restricted extent in contact with and guided by the casing. Either of these constructions may be employed andwill be found effective for the intended purpose, although thecupshaped form of follower illustrated in Figures l andQ is preferred.

In assembling the parts of the packing means shown in Figures l, 2 and 3 in the installation of the apparatus, after all the with the exception of the bonnet lll `and its contact head 23, the packing material 28 and follower 29 are inserted in the bonnet and the cap 16 loosely or fully applied thereto, after which the bonnet, with its contained and applied parts, as stated, are slipped down over the upper projecting end of the rod 22 until the follower comes incontact with the upper end of the spring QG and the bonnet restson the valve Abody or casing 13,

to which valve body orcasingthebonnet is bolted or otherwise secured. The cap 16 is then tightened until itis fully applied, if not previously vtightened up, and the head 23 fitted'on' the rod, whereupon the mechanism is ready for use. Instead of initially applying the packing in the bonnet 14;, then inserting the follower, and fitting the bonnet in position as described, the bonnet with thefollower inserted thereinmay first be `fitted in position and the packing then introduced through the opening 33. Thereafter no removal and reappl'ication `of the bonnet or follower will be required at any time in the use of the apparatus whenever renewal of the packing 28 is necessary, as by means of a suitable tool,upon removal of the head 2&5 and cap 16, the old packing may be withdrawn or picked out through the opening 3-3 and `new packing material inserted through said opening. l'rovision is thus made-to enable a new packing to be applied whenever necessary without in any manner dismantling or throwing the apparatus out of service beyond the slight time `required to remove an old packingand apply a new one in the simple manner specified, which operation, it is obvious, may be easily and quickly performed.

li'ihile the valve 3 `embodying the stuffingboX constituting my invention has been illustrated as applied for use as a discharge or flush valve in a water closet system of a specified type, it may also be employed in hydrants of generally similar construction and in other types of water or other fluid distributing apparatus where `the use of such a valve is desirable. In the application of the valve to frost-proof hydrants, for example, the same general working mechanism as that disclosed may be employed7 except that a suitable handle or lever for moving the rod 22 in one direction may be used, the tank connection 2l dispensed with and` the outlet 17 made in the form of a spout or otherwise modified as such use n require. In this connection the invention may be employed in conjunction with a known type ofhydrant structure in which the valve `9 has al different working action from that herein described, in that Jthe valve member l0 may be arranged to open with the valve member 19 and close therewith, while the valve member l1 is closed when said valve members lO and I9 are opened, and is opened when said valve members ltland 19 are closed.

In Figure el, I have shown the application of the invention to a pump, such as an automobile pump, St designating the pump barrel or cylinder, 35 a piston or plunger operating therein, 36 the pump rod or shaft, and 37 he stuffing-box or chamber' communicating with one end of the cyli1iz1ler-` The chamber 37 is externally threaded to receive the internally threaded closure cap 38 hav-- ing an opening through which `the rod extends. The chamber is of equal diameter except at its top, where it is provided with an internal flange 39 performing the same function as the, flange 8l previously described. A cup-shaped gland or follower 40 IUE lll.)

presses the compressible packing material 40a against the underside of said flange and against the surfaces to be sealed, and this follower' is pressed outward by a coiled spring ilV disposed between the follower and a suitable abutment 42 in the casing. The flange 39 as here shown contracts the opening 43 at the top of the chamber 37 sufficiently to prevent escape of the follower while permitting ready and convenient replacementof the packing when worn upon removal of the cap. Y

ln the initial assemblage of the parts shown in Figure a, the follower ZlO, spring al and abutmentl2 are iitted in position in the stuliing box 37 and the piston 35 and its rod 36 applied, after which the packing 40 may be inserted through the opening 43 and the cap 38 applied or the packing may lirst Vof all be fitted in advance of the follower in the stuffing box from theninside and the other parts applied in proper order to complete the assemblage in a manner readily understood. Y The abutment 42 may be threaded or otherwise detachably fitted in position in order that the follower and spring may be inserted at the outset, being thereafter fixed in position so that it nee-'l not be disturbed except in the event that, from injury or other cause, the application of a new follower or spring becomes necessary. In the event of the packing 40a becoming worn and useless, it is only necessary to unscrew the cap 38, withdraw the old packing through the opening 43, insert a new packing through the same opening, and then reapply the cap.

In both types 'of construction herein described a normally loose fibrous packing may be used which may be inserted and compressed in position and to a desired density by tamping, which tamping may be performed by the same tool used for extracting a worn packing.

Having thus fully described my invention, l claim y l. A stuffing box including 'a packing chamber having an opening in its top, a cap for closing the opening, a rod or stem within said chamber and extending through said opening and cap, an inturned flange on the chamber constricting said opening to a diameter greater than that of the rod but-less Ythan that of the chamber, compressible packing material in the chamber and surrounding` the rod and bearing against the under side pf the flange, a portion of said packing extending into and sealing said opening, and a spring-pressed follower in said chamber and operating to compress the packing material therein, said follower being of the same internal diameter as the chamber and of greater diameter than the flange so as to be limited in outward movement by the flange on removal ofthe packing, .the opening between the flange and rod being of such diameter as to permit withdrawalof the packing material when worn and the repacking of the chamber with new packing material through said opening, without displacement ef the follower, upon the detachment of the cap from the casing.

2. A stuffing box including a packing chamber having an opening in its top, said chamber being externally threaded, an internallythreaded cap for closing the opening, a rod or stem within the chamber and extending' through said opening and the crown of the cap, an inturned flangeon the chamber constricting said opening to a diameter greater than that of the rod but less than that of the chamber, compressible packing material in the chamber and surrounding the rod and bearing against the under side of the liange, a portion ofsaid packing extending into and sealing said opening, and a. spring-pressed follower in said chamber and operating to compress the packing material therein, said follower being limited in outward movement by the flange when the packing is removed, said Y opening in the chamber between the flange and rod being of such diameter as to permit withdrawal of a worn packing through the opening and repacking of the chamberthrough the opening with new packing material upon detachment of the cap,the crown wall of said cap being arranged to bear upon the portion of the packing sealing the opening. when said cap is fully applied.

3. A stuffing box including a packing chamber havingran opening in its top, the lower portion of the packing chamber being of uniform diameter and the upper portion of said chamber tapering-to said opening 1 and thereby providing an inturned flange overhang-ing the portion of the chamber' of `uniform diameter, a cap for closing said opening, a rod or stemwithin said chamber and extending throughsaid opening and cap, compressible packing material in the chambet between the rod and walls of the chamber, said packing having a portion underlying the flange and a portion extending intoand sealing the opening, and a springactuated follower movable in the portion of the chamber of uniform diameter and limited in upward movement by said flange, the opening between the flange and rod being of such diameter as to permit withdrawal o-f. the packing material when worn and the repacking of the chamber with new packing material through said opening, without displacement of the follower, upon the detachment of the cap from the casing.

et. il. stnfling box including a packin chamber having an opening in its top, said chamber being externally threaded, the lower portion ofthe packing chamber being of uniform diameter and the upper portion of lll() said chamber tapering to said opening, thereby providing; an intnrned flange overhanging the portion ot the chamber 01 uniforni diameter, an internally threaded cap adapted for engagement with the external threads of the chamber, a rod or stern Within the enainber and extending; through said opening and through the Crown of the Cap7 eomgressible packing` material in the charnber about the rod and between the saine and the Walle of the Chamber, a portion of the paelr b being; arranged `to underlie said flange and a portion there-ot extending into and sealing' Said opening, and ai Springll* pressed follower movable in the portion of the chamber of unil-orne diameter ind lim ited in upward movement by said fianrre the opening; between the flange and rod be ing of such diameter as to permit the with drawal oi' the packing material when Worn and repaelring o't the chamber throughl the opening, Without displacement of tlie tollewer, upon the detachment of the cap roni `the easing', the Crown of said Cap being adapted to bear upon the portion ot' the peeking sealing the opening; when Said Cap is fully applied..

In testimony whereinu l altix my Signa ture.

JOSEPH A. VOGL. 

